Over winter break, I looked into food insecurity by volunteering at TOPSS food pantry in Oxford. Over the course of break, I helped fill bags for individuals, helped with curbside shopping, and other duties such as stocking and maintaining shelves in the pantry. While doing this experience, I became very interested in understanding how stigma could play into how someone interacts with a food pantry. I kept an active journal where I would write detailed accounts for the days I volunteered. I worked over 40 hours, and maintained my journal throughout the whole experience. My research was conducted visually and audibly. Food insecurity is an important topic in Global Health, and is a problem anyone can experience in their lifetime. In Butler county, 12% of people experience food insecurity, which is equal with the national average. Over the course of my work, I came to many conclusions. Stigma alone was not the only reason people avoided or could not attend food pantries. While it may play a factor, in Butler County, many people cannot come to the food pantry due to poor health, lack of vehicle, working a job, or they may be experiencing poverty. With all these factors combined, it makes it incredibly difficult to attend a food pantry, despite needing the resources. This research has led me to become passionate about this topic, and has led me to land a job after graduation in a food lab. This food lab looks into food and if there is harmful content. While food insecurity is experiencing a lack of food, the food they can get their hands on needs to be nutrient rich and safe. That may not always be the case; which is why I am happy I got a job where I can help people have safe food.
Author(s): Kaitlyn Stamp, Zoology and Global Health Studies Major
Advisor(s): Kelly Abshire, Microbiology. Paul Flaspohler, Psychology
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